Name-plate.



W. J. HINES.

NAME PLATE.

APPLIuATIoN FILED JUNE 17, 1912.

1,091,574. Patented Mar. 31, 19142 9 f mun 1 B a Z KB 7 zwawwalx WILLIAM J. HINES, OF LEOMINSTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

NAME-PLATE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 31, 1914.

Application filed June 17, 1912. Serial No. 704,026.

To (ZZZ whom it may concern Be it known that I, TILLIAM J. HINES, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Leominster, in the county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Name-Plate, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a name plate suitable for various purposes, but particularly adapted to be used as a door-plate or the like.

The principal objects of the invention are to provide a plate of this character which shall be untarnishable and otherwise unaffected by moisture and the weather, which shall be light and inexpensive to manufacture and neat and attractive in appearance, which can be made up in quantities before orders are received and simply assembled to make the particular name desired, thus permitting the manufacture and assembling to be done atwidely separated points, and in which the letters may be made conveniently of a color or appearance contrasting with that of the body of the plate. For these purposes the plate is made mainly of celluloid or the like in sheet form, and another obj ect of the invention is to provide means for strengthening the sheet of celluloid so that it will stand ordinary usage to which it is subjected in use and in being placed in position.

Another object of the invention is to provide a construction in which the letters or characters can be formed separately and ap' plied rapidly and conveniently, and in which the main part of the plate can be made in a few standard sizes and the letters applied in such a way that the word or words can be made to fit properly the standard sizes of plate.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a plan of a door plate constructed in accordance with this invention; and Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal sectional view of the same.

The invention is shown in a simple form in which it comprises substantially three elements; first a back-plate A, second, a strengthening plate B, and third, a series of characters C. The back plate which constitutes the main part of the name plate is formed of a sheet of celluloid provided with an integral rib a, extending around it and spaced equally from its several edges. This rib is formed by an ordinary embossing process so that while it adds to the strength of the sheet it does not add to the weight or materially to the expense thereof. Out side the rib is a flange a provided with a pair of perforations a at opposite ends through which fastening devices are to be inserted for the purpose of securing the plate in position on a door or wall or the like. The continuous rib a incloses a panel a which is in the same plane as the outer flange a.

F or the purpose of strengthening the plate between the two fastening devices and also for the purpose of supporting the characters C the intermediate plate B is provided. This is exactly of the size of the panel a? and is cemented thereto throughout its surface so that its edges come into engagement with the inner surfaces of the ribs a. It, therefore, reinforces the main plate between the ribs so that the strengthening action of the plate and ribs extend throughout from the part of the plate bounded by the exterior surface of the ribs. This strengthening plate also has another function, namely, to provide a convenient support for the letters G. The advantages of this will be seen when it is stated that these letters preferably are punched or otherwise formed out of sheet celluloid of a color contrasting sharply with that of the plate B also with that of the plate A. Therefore the letters can be used with difierent. spacings for words of different lengths and the plates B, being exactly the size of the space which is to be occupied by the letters, can be used in the absence of the plates A for assembling the letters or characters. In this way the letters or characters can be made in large numbers and they canbe applied to the plates B made in standard sizes and afterward secured in proper position on the plates A without further spacing or adjustment. The desired spacing can be provided by means of templets, gages, or by measurements as desired and after the letters are once placed on the plates B the further assembling of the parts is a very simple matter as these plates cannot be wrongly positioned on the back plates.

It will be understood, of course, that the back plates are made in a few standard sizes and that the intermediate plates B are formed in corresponding sizes. On account of the fact that the intermediate plates abut against the inner edges of the ribs the strengthening action is complete and con tinuous substantially from one fastening device to the other.

In this way a name plate is secured in which the letters or characters as well as the plate are not tarnished or otherwise injured by the weather and in which they can be made of contrasting colors so that they can be seen readily and the letters can be shipped from the factory to the. agent for assembly in accordance with the orders received. This is a particularly important point as with ordinary name plates the orders have to be transmitted to the factory as the names have to be made when the plates are manufactured. This facilitates the sale and distribution of the article in a very high degree and permits its sale in sparsely settled territories where ordinary name plates cannot be sold to advantage by agents and at the same time the entire construction is very inexpensive, durable, neat and attractive in appearance.

Although I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the invention, I am aware that many modifications can be made therein by any person skilled in the art without departing fro-m the scope of the invention as expressed in the claim. Therefore, I do not wish to be limited to all the details of construction herein shown and described, but

lVhat I do claim is As an article of manufacture, a name plate comprising a face plate consisting of a piece of sheet celluloid having fiat edges provided with fastening means at its ends and a continuous integral rib spaced from its edges and inclosing a flat panel, in the plane of said edges, a reinforcing sheet cemented to and covering said panel and abutting against said rib at its edges for stiffening the name plate between said fastening means, and a series of letters or characters, each made of sheet celluloid secured to the front of said reinforcing sheet, and extending from one inner edge of the rib to the opposite One to help strengthen the sign.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WVILLIAM J. HINES. WVitnesses A. L. PRESTON, E. E. HAMILTON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). G. 

